Welcome to this year's NBA FANtastic Previews. Your regular Triple Threat correspondent gearhead is here to preview the 2007-08 season. Next up: The Southeast Division.

When I look at the Southeast, I see a lot of mediocrity. For Atlanta and Charlotte, this is not a bad thing but rather a sign for improvement. Both these cellar dwellers could be playoff contenders this year. It helps though that their division rivals aren't that great. Looking ahead, team-by-team...

Atlanta Hawks

Don't be too shocked. The Hawks have built up a pretty decent core to build around. Of course, with as many lottery picks as they've had, even Billy Knight had to be right once in a while. Joe Johnson took a huge part of the scoring load, but that should be alleviated a bit with the continuing emerge of Josh Smith. Josh Childress should also continue his steady improvement, while Al Horford was the right pick for the Hawks at #3. Those four help heal the mistakes of the Williamses: the offensively challenged Shelden, and the highly disappointing Marvin. With the weak East, Atlanta could make a playoff run. However, they have no big man of consequence other than Zaza Pachulia, and point guard will again be a black hole unless Acie Law avoids the usual rookie point guard struggles.

My Prediction: 37-45, 10th East (4th Southeast)

Charlotte Bobcats

The Bobcats have already suffered two season ending injuries. One, Sean May, will be a significant hit to their frontcourt depth. One, Adam Morrison, means they'll "miss" a shooter who couldn't shoot last year, and can't rebound, pass, or play defense. The big news in the offseason was the trade for Jason Richardson. Pairing him with Gerald Wallace gives Charlotte a dynamic scoring duo on the wings. The frontcourt looked better with Sean May, but a healthy Emeka Okafor and a full season from Walter Hermann should help weather that storm. Raymond Felton is poised for a breakout season as well. He'll need to be with security blanket Brevin Knight gone. The pieces are here for a playoff run, but injuries are already a concern and the season hasn't even started yet.

My Prediction: 35-47, 11th East (5th Southeast)

Miami Heat

The Good: Dwyane Wade and Shaq. The Bad: just about everything else. The Heat did nothing significant to improve the roster in the offseason, and are thus left with old guys and unproven youth. Jason Williams is a shell of his former (not that good) self due to injury. Alonzo Mourning also has a lot of miles on the odometer. With Udonis Haslem being the only other decent player on the roster, it'll be up to Shaq and Wade. Shaq, however, is 35 and doesn't seem to interested in conditioning, while Wade will once again take a pounding while driving to the basket. The Heat did just trade for Ricky Davis, but since when has "Ricky Davis" and "winner" gone together? The seeds are planted for the Heat to miss the playoffs. In fact, I'm going to be so bold as to predict it.

My Prediction: 39-43, 9th East (3rd Southeast)

Orlando Magic

Most normal people thought that giving a max contract to Rashard Lewis was insane in the long-term. Short-term however he's the perfect second banana to Dwight Howard thanks to his ability to score and being less injury prone than Grant Hill. Howard though, is the key. He averaged 17.6 points and 12.3 rebounds a game last year, his leaping ability is off the charts, and he has reportedly bulked up more in the offseason. Oh, and he's 21 years old. The Magic will need Jameer Nelson to step up after a disappointing season, and depth is still a concern. However, I am a big believer in Dwight Howard, and as such I see another improvement for the Magic, enough for a division title.

My Prediction: 45-37, 4th East (1st Southeast)

Washington Wizards

Everyone loves Gilbert Arenas, and paired with Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler, most people like the Wizards. However, this is still a mostly three person team, one of which is on the wrong side of 30, and another coming off knee surgery. Plus, there's still no proof that Washington can stop anybody. Thus, it looks like another similar season in DC: a playoff appearance coupled with a quick exit.

My Prediction: 43-39, 7th East (2nd Southeast)

Share your thoughts on the Southeast Division. Are my picks bold, or just dumb?